Aerosol dispenser



July 20, 1965 sEncl-u KITABAYAsl-n AEROSOL DISPENSER Filed Nov. 1s, 196s United States Patent O AERGSOL DISPENSER Seiichi Kitabayashi, 2-2246 Nishisugamo, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Nov. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 324,403 Claims priority, application Japan, Nov. 24, 1962,

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) The present invention relates to aerosol dispensers to be used generally for emitting or spraying liquid materials contained in a reservoir and subjected to a gas pressure in the same reservoir.

The objects of the present invention are to provide aerosol dispensers having a simple structure which is suitable for mass production and also to provide means for cutting down their manufacturing costs.

An aerosol dispenser according to the present invention comprises an eductor tube and a push button, said eductor tube being provided air-tightly through a wall of a reservoir and fixed thereto and having a closed upper end and a side wall valve bore, said push button being provided with an emission orifice and an expansion chamber, which chamber extending from the inner side of said emission oriiice, said eductor tube being encased tightly by the lower portion of said expansion chamber through the medium of an annular resilient gasket, said gasket being both for the valve means to said valve bore movable by said push button, and for the resilient means for the recovery oi said push button position.

Conventionally, an aerosol dispenser is provided generally with a push button which has an emission orifice and which is xed to an axially movable valve stern upper end. Said valve stem is encased in a valve housing which is encased tightly in a reservoir. The valve action is taken place in said valve housing. Accordingly, said valve housing must be encased air-tightly by a wall of the reservoir, and a small spring for the recovery of the valve stem position is required to be inserted in said valve housing. Such being the structure, a conventional aerosol dispenser is complicated from the nature of the valve in spite of smallness of dimensions. Its manufacturing cost is unexpectedly high because its mounting procedure is rather complex and the inspection of the valve inside at the iinding of a trouble after mounting is extremely ditlicult. By the present invention, aerosol dispensers with little trouble for the mounting and inspection procedures, accordingly suitable for mass production, and having no inferior functions then good conventional aerosol dispensers have been devised.

The embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, will hereinafter be described.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is an axial sectional view of an aerosol dispenser according to the present invention and shown in its off position.

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the same aerosol dispenser as shown in FIG. 1 but shown in its position under operation.

In the iigures, 1 is an eductor tube which is provided through a mounting cap 2 of a reservoir and fixed thereto with a binding agent. The eductor tube 1 is provided with a blockade portion at its upper end, and a valve bore 4 with a small diameter is provided through its side wall. The lower end of the tube 1 is encased in an extension tube 5 which reaches to the inner bottom of said reservoir. Instead of providing an extension tube 5, the eductor tube 1 may be designed longer. 6 is a push button provided with an emission orifice 7 in the front, and the inside of said oriice 7 connects to an expansion chamber 8. The lower portion of the chamber 8 is put tightly on the eductor tube 1 through the medium of an annular rubber 3,195,787 Patented July 20, 1965 gasket 9. The gasket 9 is -seated on the upper face of a step 10 provided around the eductor tube 1 on the one hand, and engages to the lower face of the step 11 provided on the wall of the expansion chamber 8 on the other hand.

The radial length between the outer end of eductor tube step 10 and the inner end of push button step 11 is very small as compared with the axial thickness of gasket 9.

ln FIG. l, the aerosol dispenser is shown in its oi position, in which a solution under pressure in the reservoir rises through the extension tube 5 until the upper end of the eductor tube 1. When the push button 6 is pressed downwards by a linger the device takes a position which is shown in FIG. 2. The gasket 9 is pressed downwards by the step 11 inside the push button and is subjected to deformation, because the inside portion of said gasket is held by the step 10 of the eductor tube. And, the valve bore 4 which was closed by the gasket 9 opens, and communicates with the emission orifice 7 through the expansion chamber 8. Accordingly, said solution under pressure in the eductor tube 1 expands in the chamber 8 and emitted outwards from the orice 7. When the push button is released, it recovers its original position as shown in FIG. l by the resilient force of restitution of the gasket 9. Then, the valve bore 4 is closed by the gasket 9 inner annular face and the emission stops.

As mentioned above, the rubber gasket 9 serves only as a support for the push button 6 and serves as a sealing means against the outer space of the push button, and also serves both as a valve means for the valve bore 4 and as the resilient means for the restitution of the push button.

According to the present invention, a gasket which is provided around the eductor tube fixed to the reservoir wall means serves quadruple purposes, that is, sealing gasket means for the expansion chamber provided in the push button, valve means for the eductor tube valve bore, and resilient means for restitution of the push button.

The radial length between the outer end of the eductor tube step and the inner end of the push button step should be small as compared with the axial thickness of the resilient gasket and it should be not larger than said axial thickness.

This structural limitation is not only useful for supporting the push button stably by only a resilient gasket, but is required for said gasket resulting in a state of cornpression thereof upon axial movement of said push button, and, when the resilient gasket is in a compressed state, its engaging power against the eductor tube and the push button increases for preventing liquid and gas leakages in spite of its deformation uncovering the valve bore.

Consequently, no so-called valve housing encased in the reservoir and no metal spring for valve operation are required. As the valve portion of the present device stands at an outer space of the reservoir, and said valve portion can be dismantled by a simple removal of the push button, inspections of the device after mounting are simple as well as an exclusion of trouble such as a valve bore clogging is easy. The only procedure for mounting a valve device according to the present invention is to cap the eductor tube by a push button. And, it is only a simple work without tools. In consequence, an aerosol dispenser according to the present invention has merits that it is suitable for mass production and that it is manufactured economically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An aerosol dispenser comprising a reservoir having a wall, an eductor tube extending through and tixedly connected to said reservoir wall in an air tight manner, said eductor tube having a closed lend exteriorly of said reservoir, a side bore adjacent said closed end and a peripheral step, a push button having an Vemission orifice and an interior expansion chamber in communication f with said orifice, a ring shaped gasket having said eductor tube extending therethrough and normally closing said eductor tube side bore and having one end mounted on said eductor tube step and said push button expansion chamber having an interior step mounted on the other end ofy said ring shaped gasket and having the closed end of said eductor tube positioned therein whereby pushing said push button compresses said ring shaped gasket placing said 4eductor tube side bore in communication with said push button expansion chamber.

2. An aerosol dispenser comprising a reservoir containing liquid -under the pressure of a gas propellent and haping a wall, an eductor tube extending through Vand Vxedly connected to Vsaid reservoir wall in an air tight a cylindrical skirt wall and an inside annular step facing downward and limiting said skirt wall upper end, said push button expansion chamber extending from the inner side of said emission orifice to said annular step bottom face, said resilient gasket encasing ysaid eductor tube tightly for engaging normally said valve bore and the bottom face of said gasket engaging said annular step top face and said gasket being encased tightly by said push button skirt Wall with the top face of said gasket engaging said push button annular step bottom face,` and said eductor tube annular step outer end being spaced from the inner end of said push button annular step a distance equivalent to the axial thickness of said gasket.

'References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,585,429 2/52 Boe 239-,-579 X y 2,835,418 5/58 Manetti.

2,883,090 4/59 Romane.

2,949,243 8/60 Raehs et al. 239--573 X 3,076,609 2/63 Stocker 239-579 X RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AEROSOL DISPENSER COMPRISING A RESERVOIR HAVING A WALL, AN EDUCTOR TUBE EXTENDING THROUGH AND FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID RESERVOIR WALL IN AN AIR TIGHT MANNER, SAID EDUCTOR TUBE HAVING A CLOSED END EXTERIORLY OF SAID RESERVOIR, A SIDE BORE ADJACENT SAID CLOSED END AND A PERIPHERAL STEP, A PUSH BUTTON HAVING AN EMISSION ORIFICE AND AN INTERIOR EXPANSION CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ORIFICE, A RING SHAPED GASKET HAVING SAID EDUCATOR TUBE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND NORMALLY CLOSING SAID EDUCATOR TUBE SIDE BORE AND HAVING ONE END MOUNTED ON SAID EDUCTOR TUBE STEP AND SAID PUSH BUTTON EXPANSION CHAMBER HAVING AN INTERIOR STEP MOUNTED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID RING SHAPED GASKET AND HAVING THE CLOSED END OF SAID EDUCATOR TUBE POSITIONED THEREIN WHEREBY PUSHING SAID PUSH BUTTON COMPRESSES SAID RING SHAPED GASKET PLACING SAID EDUCATOR TUBE SIDE BORE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PUSH BUTTON EXPANSION CHAMBER. 